Tips to work from home

By Sharon Chihaka Chanyau

Working from home may be fun as you do it at your own time and schedule. It is common knowledge that the joys of working from home are equally threatened by the joys of procastination and the temptations of lying on the couch and watching telly. I can think of a lot of good things and advantages of working from home but one disadvantage is that it tends to distort the boundaries between work and personal life.

So how do we stay productive, and at the same time stay sane?

Set your working hours.

Commit yourself to office-like hours routine just like you do when in full time work, that way you are more likely to get work done during those hours. Working from home is really cool and one good thing is you can set your own working hours. For instance I mostly work in the night to correspond with the USA and Canada time zones. I live in Cyprus btw, and most of my clients are in the USA and Canada. Clients? You ask. Yes, I am a Virtual Assistant and Blogger. (Enough of me) Routines differ, some people work effectively in the morning, others in the afternoon, still others at the witching hour. If you work better at night, and the kind of work that you do permits it, start work at 7:00pm. But whatever your hours are, make yourself a routine, and be committed to it. Read more about my Journey (Virtual Assistance).

Take short breaks

These are important! Short breaks like making and eating lunch, can recharge you to do better work. It is wrong to assume you need to be working 100% of the time while you’re home to be more productive.

Exercise

Light exercise like standing up to stretch, going out for walks, popping into the garden and, once or twice a day. On the other hand a more vigorous workout will keep your mind more alert and your body less desk-shaped. Taking some time to exercise will also ensure your relationship with the home office doesn’t feel constricting and claustrophobic.

Get goals

Working from home means there is no line manager who will come for appraisals so you need to invent your own checking systems. Plan out what you’ll be working on ahead of time. Schedule, if possible, around your natural schedule. Make sure you follow the laid out plan. Believe me at the end of the day you want to feel like you are going somewhere and ensure that years don’t pass by without any noticeable achievements in money or, especially, job satisfaction.

Me-time

Take some time to do something you love which is not remunerative, something for you. In your schedule allow time for self-improvement and self-care, whether that’s painting, reading, creative writing. Work can feel like fun at times, but it’s rarely the real thing. You can take on something useless – as in not remunerative or take some time to reward yourself – for example visit a Spa or a Nail Bar to get your nails done. Me time is essential for mental health.

Choose a dedicated work space.

Have a place dedicated space to working (it doesn’t have to be big). It could be a certain table, chair, local coffee shop. That way, when you enter it or sit down, you know straight away what you are there to do. Having a dedicated working space helps you get into the right frame of mind. On that note if you choose a room make your environment clean and bright.

Interact with other humans.

This may sound funny but this is very important. As a human being you need to interact with other people. I know there are deadlines and big goals to achieve but just take an hour or two during the day to talk to other people. Answer emails, call and a have a chat with a friend. This may also boost your level of creativity and energy as it may relax you.

Know when to stop.

When I started blogging I would work long hours as the pressure to perform was upon me. This may make you feel like you have worked hard and done a lot in a day but it may take a toll on your body and health. Avoid working late into the night. If need be, set defined times when you are going to work, and then when it passes, STOP. You can allow a leeway of an hour or an hour and a half but make sure that you do not end up letting work run your life.

Cheers and happy working from home.

»»I may have made you think of hiring a Virtual Assistance. Before you do that check out Before you hire a VA.

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I really appreciate all of these tips, especially the “know when to stop.” I am similar to you in that once I get going, I push push push and I have a very difficult time stopping, even when I’m around friends and family. It is so important to be able to stop and unplug – for everyone! You might like my post on Best Advice I’ve Ever Gotten, http://allthepassionstrings.com/best-advice-ive-ever-gotten/

Great post, Sharon! I love these tips. I am a teacher and have made blogging my “full-time” job this summer, and sometimes have a hard time staying on track!! My husband words from home already and is much better at already doing most of your tips that you listed =) Thanks for the inspiration and the advice! I will definitely be using these to structure my day a little better!

Setting work hours is definitely something I struggle with! I spend most of the time at university so it can be hard to squeeze in definitive blogging hours around it; some weeks I do stacks of work and others none at all!

Thanks for the tips, I will definitely be using them to guide me and put everything back on track 🙂

These are good tips! Thank you for sharing! I’ve just returned back to work after maternity leave and I am working from home some of that time so this was a timely post for me! 🙂 Scheduled to share it on my twitter 🙂

Those are all very wise tips – thanks for sharing! My husband works for an international company and once in a while he is offered a job abroad. So far he has turned down these offers, because I have my carreer at home too. Every now and then I’m wondering though… maybe I could just quit my job and go with him to Singapore, Australia or some other place. I’m thinking that maybe I could start working from home, taking my blog to a more professional level for example… What I probably would miss most is interaction with other people. So once again, your blogpost was helpful for me today 😉 Sina

Love these tips. Excellent points for anyone who is looking to start working from home or reminders for people who are already working from home. I love your points about knowing when to stop, sticking to your own “office hours” and not forgetting to interact with the public. Great post! x

I work from home and I can definitely agree with all these tips! Setting dedicated working hours is really important for me, but I’m guilty of not having a designated work space. I’m supposed to work in my office but it doesn’t have windows so I often find myself working on the sofa which is less than ideal.

Really great post – I work from home and sometimes I could really use advice like this (and having the self-control to stick to it too!). It’s so important we interact with others to break up the day, that’s the one I find helps the most 🙂

Great tips! I still struggle with getting a set schedule together and then focusing so I can get items checked off my “to do” list. The hardest part is knowing when to stop. There’s always something more to do 🙂

Ok, I love thisone. I promise you in the age of virtual office, working from home I went through dedicated office to removing it again and work from wherever I am. But so true interact with humans, excersise and commit to your working hours are only done of the things I had to learn, many thanks for putting this together

I think taking “me time” and knowing when to stop is soooo important. I worked from home for 3 years before going back to work at an office full-time. I can say that working from home can make you feel like you’re going stir-crazy. It’s important to listen to your body and ensure that you have a balanced schedule. 🙂

Know when to stop?! That is one of my downfalls of part-time working from home. I feel like I always need to share my link, promote my blog or comment on something. It is a constant struggle to just shut off from blog life. I do have a dedicated space for my blog and my cupcake business which is nice to compartmentalize.

Really good point, all of these. One of my worries if I eventually start working from home full time is that I might lose a good chunk of social interaction- so purposefully carving out time for that is really important

Thank you for sharing this! My old job used to have work from home days a few times a month and it was taken away because people weren’t productive. I work from home now on my current jobs at times and find myself in the same issue. Thanks for the tips!

I’ve applied many of these tips since becoming a freelancer and blogger. They’re so helpful. I always forget about the “popping into the garden” tip though. Fresh air does wonders to clear my clouded head! And helps me dream about upcoming travel destinations! 😛

Great tips! I definitely need to establish a workplace. I find my work throughout my home and it’s no fun for clean up. I also need to work on setting business hours. I often find myself up late at night working when I should be sleeping instead of losing out on sleep.

Working at home is such a challenge. All those household responsibilities are right there calling out. Sometimes I can’t focus despite a proper workspace and end up at the library where there is no excuse.

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